Since a few people have asked me what AI tools I use for brainstorming and story development, I wanted to share my go-to tools with the community for creative ideation, writing, and research—along with what each one does best (in my experience).
🔱 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊 (𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄)
- ChatGPT – Best for structure, flow, and outlining
- Claude – Intuitive with tone, nuance, and emotional resonance
- Perplexity – Excellent for real-time research, citations, and surfacing overlooked details
These three cover 95% of my creative and strategic needs—whether I’m building long-form content, video scripts, or concept frameworks.
🌀 𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒
- Gemini – Occasionally surfaces unique phrasing, but often shallow; tends to regurgitate mainstream content
- Grok – Can surprise you with left-field or unconventional insights, but very hit-or-miss
- Copilot – Task-oriented; great for code or documentation, but not made for ideation
🧪 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐊 (𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 “𝐛𝐚𝐝,” 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰)
- Jasper – Built on GPT-4 + Claude. Strong team but the UX didn’t click.
- Sudowrite – Started with OpenAI; now blends in their own model (Muse). Didn’t vibe with the interface.
- Pi – Runs on Inflection’s in-house model. Friendly, but too slow and chatty.
- You.com – A hybrid of their own models and GPT-4. Good on paper; scattered in practice.
🧠 Note: Most of these tools use similar underlying models. The real differentiator is interface, speed, and workflow. If it doesn’t amplify your process, it’s probably not the right tool for you.
🗃️ 𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊
- Ideate in ChatGPT
- Expand/refine in Claude or Perplexity
- Archive and organize in Notion as my System of Record
🏹 𝐏𝐑𝐎 𝐓𝐈𝐏
If you’re using Taylan’s QuestOS (Notion Command Center), these tools slot in perfectly during the Clarity → Create phases. I treat ChatGPT like a creative co-pilot, then migrate insights into my Quest vault for refinement or reuse.
🎁 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝐀𝐈 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄?
We’re all still early in this game. These tools are barely two years old. So if you’ve found a stack that clicks—or if something unexpectedly worked better than you thought—drop it in the comments. Let’s swap notes. 💬🧠⚔️